Unit 1 Vocabulary Flashcards
(33 cards)
Animism
The belief in supernatural power that organizes and animates the material universe
Domesticate
To tame (an animal) and keep it as a pet or for farm produce
Civilization
The society, culture, and way of life in a certain area
Surplus
An extra amount of food
Artisan
A worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand
Polytheistic
The belief in more than one god
Pictogram
A pictorial symbol for a word or phrase
Scribe
A person who copies out documents
City-state
A city that with its surrounding territory forms an independent state
Empire
A large commercial organization owned or controlled by one person or group
Steppe
A large area of flat unforested grassland in southeastern Europe or Siberia
Cultural diffusion
The spreading out of a culture, culture traits, or a cultural pattern from a central point
Mummification
To preserve a body by embalming it and wrapping it in cloth
Hieroglyphics
Writing consisting of hieroglyphs
Ideogram
A written character symbolizing the idea of a thing without indicating the sounds used to say it
Demotic
Denoting or relating to the kind of language used by ordinary people
Papyrus
A type of paper used to write on
Decipher
To convert into a normal language
Hierarchy
A system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority
Ziggurat
A rectangular stepped tower, sometimes surrounded by a temple
Cuneiform
Denoting or relating to the wedge-shaped characters used in the ancient writing systems surviving mainly impressed on clay tablets
Satrap
A provincial governor in the ancient Persian empire
Colony
A country or area under the full or partial political control of another country
Nomad
A person who does not stay long in the same place; a wanderer
